In school, repeating a grade is common.

Accept to fail for real quality

Like other localities, the “achievement disease” has forced the education sector in Binh Xuyen to move students up the grade “at all costs” to please parents, without the school and teachers “losing points”. This has been going on for a long time.

However, since the Vinh Phuc Department of Education and Training directed "real teaching, real learning, real quality", the Departments of Education and Training and schools began to put "fake achievements" aside, increase investment in expertise, and at the same time force students who are not qualified to move up to the next grade to retake the course.

The concept of “real teaching, real learning, real quality” is understood by everyone, however, the path to finding real quality is not easy because the mentality of repeating a grade is very heavy. If students are evaluated seriously, the Department of Education and Training as well as schools may be ranked lower in competition and have to endure other pressures from local authorities and parents.

Head of the Department of Education and Training awarded Certificates of Merit to excellent teachers of Huong Son Primary School. (Photo provided by the school)

Choosing to face reality, educational institutions in Binh Xuyen district decided to hold back hundreds of students. At Tam Hop Primary School, 11 students were held back in the 2021-2022 school year; 15 in the 2022-2023 school year and 5 in the 2023-2024 school year.

For decades, Huong Son Primary School has had students repeat a grade. “Repeat studies” have become normal here. Last school year, the school had 2 students repeat a grade and in the 2023-2024 school year, there will be 8 students repeat a grade.

In the same commune, Huong Son Secondary School also had many 9th graders repeat a grade. Faced with the schools' determination, parents told each other to let their children study seriously from grade 1 to avoid repeating a grade.

Ms. Nguyen Quynh Lien, Principal of Huong Son Primary School, said: To ensure quality, the school conducts surveys every month. The Board of Directors directly sets the questions, grades the papers, and then publicly posts the results on the school's bulletin board or zalo group. The Board of Directors also organizes surprise quality checks, without teachers knowing in advance.

For students with poor academic performance, there are times when the Board of Directors has to meet privately with teachers and parents. Teachers at the school regularly inform parents about their children's academic performance. Therefore, parents do not have any opinions when their children are held back. Some families even take the initiative to ask for their children to repeat the course to solidify their knowledge.

One of the secondary schools with the highest number of students failing a grade is Ba Hien Secondary School. The school is located in the industrial center of Vinh Phuc province, with about 20% of the students being children of workers. In many cases, parents work far away and leave their children to their grandparents.

The school also has more than 100 students from families with difficult and complicated circumstances such as disabled children, orphans, divorced parents, alcoholic fathers, drug addicts, etc.

In the 2023-2024 school year, the school had 55 students repeating a grade, accounting for 4.29% of the total number of students, not to mention 14 9th grade students who were not recognized as graduating from junior high school.

In previous school years, this number was even higher. In the 2021-2022 school year, the school had 82 students who were held back, accounting for 7.71% of the total number of students, plus 16 9th graders who were not recognized as graduating from junior high school. Some students held back twice.

Quality must come first

In Binh Xuyen, every summer vacation, teachers focus on reviewing knowledge for students who are not qualified to move up to the next grade. After being trained during the summer, students will be tested again for screening. The tests are very strict, there is no "begging" to move up to the next grade. From grades 1 to 9, there are students who are held back. In the 2023-2024 school year alone, the district has 532 students held back.

Parents are not surprised when their children have to repeat a class. Parents understand and sympathize with teachers because from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, teachers at the school regularly exchange and inform about their children's learning situation.

Mr. Dao Thanh Tuan, Principal of Ba Hien Secondary School

Mr. Dao Thanh Tuan, Principal of Ba Hien Secondary School, affirmed: Students’ families are not surprised when their children have to repeat classes. Parents understand and sympathize with teachers because from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, the school’s teachers regularly exchange and inform about their children’s learning situation.

According to many principals, quality assessment is very meaningful. It helps local authorities and party committees know clearly the educational situation, teachers and students also know and have directions to improve teaching and learning. Parents are more closely involved in their children's learning.

Currently, all schools in Binh Xuyen follow the process of independent question creation, independent, fair and impartial grading to accurately assess quality. Many schools assign quality to each teacher. The indicators at the beginning and end of the school year are carefully analyzed for each subject and each class to find improvement plans.

A3 Students of Ba Hien Secondary School compete in tug of war. (Photo provided by the school)

Not only Binh Xuyen district but also many districts and cities in Vinh Phuc province have applied strict measures to ensure quality. Repetition has become normal in this studious land. Perhaps that is the reason why Vinh Phuc province has firmly stood at the top of the country in terms of education quality in recent years.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, Head of the Department of Education and Training of Binh Xuyen district concluded: Real quality must be above all. The education sector does not accept lies and "achievement disease". After all, the honesty of teachers and students is also a goal of education.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/o-noi-hoc-luu-ban-la-chuyen-thuong-tinh-post826117.html